Last night I joined a Photo Walk in Boston led by Don Toothacher of Hunt’s Photo in Melrose. I have organized my own walks in the past, but this was my first joining a different group. Twelve photographers from all over New England met at the State House, walked Beacon Hill and ended on top of a building overlooking the Common at Blue Hour. It was a great time, I tried techniques I know, but tend to avoid these days. I brought out some other lenses I do not use as much, just had fun with the opportunity and meet some great people on a gorgeous night. Now I need to figure out which ones to add to the gallery. If you have any interest in joining me on a photo walk – I have some local (to me) locations I am considering over the summer, drop me a note here.

Singer, Songwriter, Ellis Paul has been in the dailypic a few times, and I am sure he will again. This Saturday, March 3rd, he will be playing at Milford’s Memorial Hall for his 3rd time. Jennnifer Tefft is opening the show, my son Dan is playing some songs while the crowd takes their seats. Every year this is a great night. Music, storytelling, laughing, even desserts by Food by Barbie. Last year he even called Dan up on stage to join him for a song. There are still tickets available: Click here for all the info. Hope to see you there.

Ellis Paul is one of those gifted singer/songwriters. Though some may refer to him as a folksinger, he is more, for lack of a better word, a singular storyteller, a musician whose words reach out from inside and yet also express the feelings, thoughts and sensibilities that most people can relate to in one way or another, regardless of age or upbringing. The exhilaration of the open road. A celebration of heroes. The hope for redemption. Descriptions of those things that are both near and dear. The sharing of love…, intimate, passionate and enduring.

Jennifer Tefft is a fired up, energizing presence who pulls earthy music from its roots and breathes fresh, soulful, rock and roll life into them. Her music combines intense rhythms with melancholy textures and haunting vocals that wind easily from darkly ethereal to outspoken, creating her own brand of Gritty-Lush Alternative Rock.

Last night I took a lighting course with Hunt Photo in Melrose. Played with lights, lenses, met some great photographers, models and some that were both. Stanley here is a photog, who is awesome in front of the camera too. It was worth the late night out.

I can’t help but take photos of musicians, even if I only have the pocket camera. I really was more interested in the street musicians, than the ones in the bars. Going in the bars to take photos, when you are alone and don’t drink can be awkward. Besides, the guys on the street have better stories. These two were good guys, played/sang a tune for me while I took the photo. Got to talk to them for a bit, guy with the guitar is from VA, the second guy is from PA. This is it, they travel around and make money playing music on the street. The drummer I did not get to talk to, but he was insane on the kit… as everyone just walked by. Then for our conference party we saw Jerry Don Oneal at the Tequila Cowboy, awesome room, great music.

My wife has uncovered some old photos from her youth. So, since it is #throwbackthursday I photographed the set so she can share. This one was my favorite, I am going to guess the brilliance of the photo might actually had been caused by poor camera skills. My wife claims this is her first photobomb, apparently her parents were taking a before picture of a kitchen renovation and she thought it was important to be in the photo.

I took the day off to hang out with 500 or so photographers in Boston at the Scott Kelby: Shoot Like a Pro Tour. Scott Kelby is an author, trainer,tv host, photoshop expert all around photo guru, who held a seminar today based on a few of his books. If you are a photographer, especially starting out, I highly recommend checking out his books and websites. The first few months of the dailypic photos many of the shots were shot using techniques I learned from his The Digital Photography Book series and his Lightroom Books have helped me master my editing software. I got to meet him during a break, I am not going to lie, if I had more time and a résumé in hand I am sure I would have hit him up for a job. Marrying my career as a trainer and my skills as a photographer would be a dream. For now I will need to be excited for the upcoming adult ed classes I will be teaching in January focusing on composition (more to come on that soon). Check out kelbytraining.com. Thanks to fellow photographer Angela for the company and taking this shot today.

Had a couple of firsts today, I met a couple to photograph their engagement session knowing I will not shoot their wedding. Last week we set up a quick shoot at Choate Park for this evening. According to the forecast, it should never happened, all day it looked as if we would be dodging thunderstorms and rain, yet it was perfect. From the moment we started, they were joking, laughing and having fun with it. They lit up each time they looked at each other, making my job easy. Another first was the port-a-potty. I have never used one as a back drop, but I have now – it has been missing from my portfolio so it is nice to have. The couple is getting married next month out-of-state… I have no problem saying I am jealous of their wedding photographer, I can only imagine the shots they will get, how do you top a port-a-potty? Good luck Kelley & Tim, it was great to meet you.